Tactile Learning Articles - Wyzant Tutor Blogshttps://www.wyzant.com/resources/blogs/tactile_learningThis is an aggregate of all of the Tactile Learning articles in Wyzant.com's Tutors' Blogs. Wyzant.com is your source for tutors and students.Mon, 19 Mar 2018 21:35:55 -0500https://www.wyzant.com/images/logos/wyzant-logo.pngTactile Learning Articles - Wyzant Tutor Blogshttps://www.wyzant.com/resources/blogs/tactile_learninghttps://www.wyzant.com/resources/blogs/tactile_learning269622https://www.wyzant.com/resources/blogs/269622/are_teachers_the_problem_when_a_child_does_not_learnConnie W.https://www.wyzant.com/resources/users/view/76702290Are teachers the problem when a child does not learn?<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;After 30 years of tutoring special education children, I have decided that all academic problems are mine, not the students. Thus, I analyzed what has already been provided in detail to determine what does and does not work. For example, children have different <strong>learning styles</strong> that are not rigid, but <span style="text-decoration: underline;">flexible</span>. Each of us may be good at a tactile sport but not efficient at a sport requiring gross motor skills. Or a student may read silently better than aloud, yet prefer to read aloud to younger siblings. Another child may draw a concept better than listening to a teacher's lecture. Learning by both visual and auditory processing may be best for others, who do not prefer writing. Tactile learners can use both visual and auditory means for success.</div>
<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;I was talking with a student about his needs who listened attentively, yet was not making progress. I switched to a visual approach, placing my directions on 3 x 5 cards taped to his folders, on his desk, and the shift was remarkable! He needed a visual, not a verbal approach to learn. According to the Orton-Gillingham approach, our students learn best from the VAK (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic-Tactile) system. When these learning preferences are presented together, well integrated,&nbsp;and repeated in a variety of academic lessons, learning&nbsp;occurs and is remembered.</div>
<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Spontaneously, a student who thinks he learns best visually, can be reminded of a skill that is verbal and be encouraged to integrate that process with a tactile movement into a new series of tasks. Increasing awareness of our strengths widens&nbsp;the range of abilities one can bring to the learning environment. A teacher who is curious, asking her&nbsp;students to think through the steps to a problem, rather than teaching a subject,&nbsp;may engender a creative child.</div>
<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Actually, the more we learn about brain plasticity, the more teachers realize, there is no child who cannot learn. As teachers we need to explore&nbsp;alternative ways to teach. When low functioning children&nbsp;with different levels of learning disabilities ranging from retardation or the autism spectrum learn to speak, read, write, and do math, then a&nbsp;professional who only teaches the learning disabled may wish to observe one of those classrooms to witness the progress that is made. Some children just need more scaffolding, high-structured repetition over a longer period of time to learn, which is not often given in a regular classroom curriculum.&nbsp;There are educational classroom activities to support repetitive learning that integrate the VAK&nbsp;approach besides homework pages.</div>
<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; I also involve the parents in providing flash cards,&nbsp;computer programs or an iPAD with academic games for follow-up practice, explaining that the three-prong approach helps working memory to transfer to&nbsp;long-term memory for later recall. Teaching strategies to children, parents and other teachers is a&nbsp;long-term goal for each of us to reach our highest learning potential.</div>
<div>Connie W.</div>Thu, 17 Apr 2014 17:05:55 -05002014-04-17T17:05:55-05:00